Automobile clutch



July 13 1926.

T. L. HARRIS ET AL AUTOMOBILE CLUTCH Filed June 4, 1925 17206722075:YZfl/Wdfl (fi e/W 23,

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' Patented July 13, 1926. I i it UNITD'S'TATES PATIENT caries.

HOMAS LEGN HARRIS, OF READING, ANID JOHN EDVIIN' BEYEA, OF WAKEFIELD,

MASSACHUSETTS.

. AUTOMOBILE CLUTCH.

Application filed June 4, 1925. Serial No. 35,010;

This invention relates to a clutch comprising guide ribs 191, extendingparallel with ing a grooved inner drum, an internally the grooves 16. Tothe driven shaft 13 is ribbed outer drum having an abutment and fixedthe annular driving plate 20,, having a group of annular clutch disksincluding a orifices in which are slidable the pins 21,

series of disks having external slots engaged fixed to the push ring 22.The push ring, its with the ribs of the outer drum, and a series pins,and the driving plate transmit torque of disks alternating with theslotted disks from the driving to the driven shaft, when and havingtongues engaged with the the usual annular clutch disks, next degroovesof the inner drum. scribed, are in operative frictional contact 1 Thechief object of the invention is to enwith each other, and the end disksare in able one or more of the externally slotted operative contact withthe abutment 18 and disks engaging the ribs of the outer drum, the pushring 22. I to be utilized in preventing liability of fail- The clutchdisks are thin flat-sided annuli, ure of the clutch to release whenbinding arranged side by side in a group which in- 1 pressure is removedfrom the disks. cludes a series of disks 23 (Figure 2) hav- This objectis attained by the improve ing tongues 24: on their inner margins, enment hereinafter described. tering and slidable in the grooves 16 intheOf the accompanying drawing forming a inner drum 1 1, and a series oflarger disks part of this specification, 25 (Figure 3) alternating withthe disks 23 20 Figure 1 shows in longitudinal section a and havingslots 26 in their outer margins, clutch of the Ford type, provided witha receiving and slidable on'the ribs 191, on the pressing clutch disk inaccordance with our outer drum 17. invention. The usual pressingmechanism employed Figure 2 'is a fragmentary perspective to press thedisks together, includes levers view, showing a portion of one of theinter- 27, pivoted at 28. to the driving plate 20,

nally tongued clutch disks. and provided with push studs 29, movable inFigure 3 is a fragmentary perspective orifices in the driving plate, andbearing on view, showing a portion of one of the exthe push ring 22, acollar 30, slidable on the ternally slotted clutch disks. 1 driven shaft13, and means for forcibly mov- Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective'ing thecollar on the driven shaft to cause view, showing a portion ofthe pressing the studs to exert pressure on the push ring, clutch diskcharacterizing our invention. said means including a bell-crank lever31,

' Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Figfulcrumed at 32, one arm ofthe lever enure 4. gaging the collar 30, and. the other arm being 35Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary secconnected by a rod 33 with aclutch pedal 34:. tion on line 6-6 of Figure 1. The operation of aclutch organized as Figure 7 shows in section two externally abovedescribed, is so well known that furslotted pressing disks alternatingwith two ther description thereof is unnecessary. internally tongueddisks. 7 Heretoforethe clutch disk at one end of the 40 The samereference characters indicate group in contact with the abutment 18 ofthe same parts in all of the figures. the outer drum, has been one ofthe disks The drawings show a clutch of the well 25, and has acted onlyas a clutch disk. known Ford type, characterized by our imhen the clutchis rendered operative by provement, as hereinafter described. .12 thebinding pressure of the pressing mecha- 45 designates a driving shaft,and 13 a driven nism on the disks, the contact of the tongues shaftalined with the driving shaft. 1 1 2 1 of the disks 23 with the sides ofthe inner designates the usual clutch disk or inner drum grooves 16,against which the thin drum, fixed by a set screw 15 to the drivingedges of the tongues are pressed, is liable shaft, and provided with theusual longi to wear slight indentations 35 in the sides so tudinalgrooves 16 in its periphery. 17 desof the grooves, as shown by Figure 6,which ignates the usual outer drum connected by a is a much enlargedsection on line 6-6 of disk abutment 18 with a hub or sleeve 19,Figure 1. A result of these indentations is supported by the drivingshaft. the formation of minute burrs 36, projecting The internal face ofthe outer drum 17 is from the sides of the grooves and bearing eaprovided with the usual inwardly projeeton the sides of the tongues.These burrs 11a are sometimes sufficient to prevent the separation ofthe disks from each other, and the release of the clutch when thebinding pressure on the disks ceases. The chief object of our inventionis to overcome this objection. In attaining this object, we remove,preferably, two of the ordinary disks at the end of the group, adjacentto the abutment 18, and substitute for the removed disks a thicker disk37, which we call a pressing disk, or separator, bearing on the abutment18, and provided with slots 38 in its outer margin, adapted to receivethe guide ribs 191 of the outer drum 17.

The pressing disk 37 performs the usual function of a disk and isprovided with resilient pressing means including balls 39, movable insockets 10 in the pressing disk, and normally projected from the innerface thereof by springs ll. The projection of the balls 39 is limited bystops 42, formed by contracting the outer ends of the sockets, as shownby Figure 5. The balls are forced by the springs against the adjacentdisk 23, and the aggregate strength of the springs is suiiicient to moveall the disks 23 and 25 away from the abutment 18, and in the directionof the arrow in Figure 6, when the disks are released by the pressingmechanism, and cause the tongues 24 to move across the burrs 36 at oneside of the tongues, so that the burrs do not prevent the release of theclutch. The movement of the tongues in the opposite direction, whenbinding pressure is exerted by the pressing mechanism, causes thetongues to move across the burrs at the opposite sides of the tongues.

All liability of preventing the release of the clutch by burrs formed asdescribed, is thus prevented.

If desired, more than one pressing disk 37 may be employed. as indicatedby Figure 7, the pressing disks alternating with the disks 23.

It will be seen that the pressing disk or disks may be installed in aclutch of the type shown, without any change in the construction of theclutch, other than the substitution of a pressing disk or disks for oneor more of the usual disks 25.

Failure of the clutch disks to separate when the binding pressure isremoved, is

caused not alone by the indentations and burrs above described, but alsoby the fact that adhesion of the clutch disks to each other is caused bythe oil used to lubricate the disks, the adhesion being particularlypronounced in cold weather, when the oil becomes thick and viscous. Suchadhesion between the pressing disk and the adjacent disk 2", shown byFigure 1, is prevented by the expanding action of the pressing disk,which may be called an expander. lYhen more than one of these expandersis employed, as shown by Figure 7, the trouble caused by adhesionfurther reduced.

Vi e claim:

1. A clutch comprising a grooved inner drum having external grooves; aninternally ribbed outer drum having internal guide ribs and an abutment;a group of annular clutch disks including a series of externally slotteddisks engaged with the ribs of the outer drum, and a serieso'linternally tongued disks, alternating with the slotted disks and engagedwith the grooves of the inner drum; and pressing mechanism adapted tobind and release the disks, the externally slotted disks including apressing disk bearing on said abutment, and having resilient meansadapted to force the other disks away from the abutment, for the purposespecified.

2. A clutch comprising a grooved inner drum having external grooves; aninternally ribbed outer drum having internal guide ribs and an abutment;a group of annular clutch disks including a series of externally slotteddisks engaged with the ribs of the outer drum, and a series ofinternally tongued disks, alternating with the slotted disks and engagedwith the grooves 01' the inner drum; and pressing mechanism a dapted tobind and release the disks, one 01 the externally slotted disks bearingon said abutment and provided with sockets and with balls and springs insaid sockets, adapted to normally project the balls and force the otherdisks away from the abutment, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof we have allixed our signatures.

THOMAS LEON HARRIS. JOHN EDlV I? BEYEA.

